


All in the Past

by theblueofthenight



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:25:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8576656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theblueofthenight/pseuds/theblueofthenight
Summary: Wynonna hadn't planned on actually enjoying her new job with the Toronto Police Service, but one Nicole Haught had made it easy. A perfect partner, always ready to have her back. It made life easier. With Waverly and Nicole by her side, she hoped to finally deal with the pain of her past. Nicole wasn't unfamiliar with the idea of running from the past, she had done it for so long she didn't even realize she was doing it anymore. It wasn't until she met the Earp sisters that she realized she couldn't keep the past buried forever, unfortunately. Waverly had her sister to look out for, a demanding major, and really confusing feelings for her sister's charming partner. She could handle it though, right? I mean, she was an Earp after all.





	

Life had not gone the way Wynonna had planned. She remembered being seven and ready to conquer the world. She had torn through her hometown telling everyone she wanted to be an explorer. No one had bothered to tell her that there was nothing left in the world unexplored.

Or so she had thought. Waverly had proved her wrong, as she almost always did. When she showed Wynonna a groundbreaking thesis on a reinterpretation of a Kant-based theory of international relations that she had been a researcher for; Wynonna realized there was plenty left in the world to explore. She just hadn’t realized it till just then.

It was too late for her, anyway. Life had screwed her over, leaving any true dreams or inspirations Wynonna might have had in the much-too distant past.

She had done everything she could to try and run away from her past, and when that didn’t work, she tried embracing it. Neither worked particularly well. And so eventually, she packed up her belongings, and joined Waverly in Toronto, hoping to forge a new path in the big city.

Which meant transferring to the Toronto Police Service. Wynonna wasn’t exactly great at adapting to new settings, or making new friends, or making good impressions. But Waverly had been insistent on encouraging her to apply. Wynonna had the experience, she’d served as Purgatory’s deputy sheriff for three years now. She just wasn’t sure about trying to adapt to the new setting.

But she had done as Waverly asked. Curse her and her weakness for her younger sister.

So here she was, standing in front of the TPS’s main building in downtown Toronto. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her way past the doors and strode confidently inside. She made a beeline for the front desk where a pretty brunette was managing the desk.

“Hey, what’s up? I’m looking for the office of the Chief of Police? I’m the new transfer.” Wynonna did her best to try and come across as somewhat friendly.

The receptionist quirked an eyebrow at her, and Wynonna bit her lip before she said something else stupid.

“I’ll show you,” she said, face finally breaking into a friendly smile and standing up.

She didn’t even wait to see if Wynonna was following her before she walked away briskly, heels clicking against the tile floor.

Wynonna hurried to catch up, glancing around her as she went. She could see people busy at desks; and various signs leading to different departments. They had to go up a few floors, but soon enough she was led to a large office at the back of the building, with large windows overlooking the streets below.

The secretary rapped at the door with her knuckles, and waited for a gruff voice to call out before she opened the door and popped her head in.

“Chief, the new transfer is here.”

An older looking man with a trimmed beard glanced up from where he was working on some paperwork. He had glasses perched on his nose, and graying hair slicked back.

_Jesus, this guy couldn’t look more like a police chief unless he channeled the spirit of Tom Selleck._

He stood up and moved around his desk to shake Wynonna’s hand. “Come in, come in!” Wynonna returned the handshake, grasping it firmly like her father had taught her.

“Nice to meet you officially Chief McMillan. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

“Of course, of course.” He waved his hand, then frowned at the receptionist.

“Natalie, could you fetch Officer Haught, I told her to stick around the department until the new transfer came in.”

He turned his attention back to Wynonna as the receptionist replied with an “of course” and hurried off.

“Please, take a seat.” He motioned to a comfortable looking chair across from his desk, and Wynonna did as he asked. He returned to his desk seat, letting out a deep sigh as he did so.

“So, Officer Earp, what brings you to Toronto?”

Wynonna raised her eyebrows at the personal question. He may look like a classic Chief of Police, but her certainly didn’t act like one.

“I moved here to be closer to my younger sister. I needed a change of scenery, and Toronto seemed like a good place.”

“Well, compared to Purgatory, anything would be a good change of scenery.”

Wynonna let out a dry laugh. “You’ve been there, huh?”

The Chief gave her an amused look. “Once, my father was a big Wyatt Earp fan.”

Wynonna gave him a knowing look in return. “Ahhh. Of course.”

“Don’t worry Officer Earp, I didn’t even consider the fact that you might be related to him until after I hired you. My teenage daughter brought it up, actually.”

Before Wynonna could reply, a knock was heard on the door, and a redheaded officer popped her head in.

“Chief? You asked for me?”

The Chief gave a wide smile, standing up and warmly coming to shake the redhead’s hand. “Officer Haught! Good to see you! It’s been too long since we’ve had a good conversation, my wife has been bugging me to invite you over for dinner for weeks now.”

The officer, who Wynonna suddenly realized was quite tall, gave the Chief a large, dimpled smile. “That would be lovely, Chief. I don’t think I’ve met a better cook than your wife.”

“I swear I asked her to marry me after tasting her apple pie.”

The officer laughed, before her eyes wandered over to Wynonna.

The Chief noticed the action, and suddenly seemed to remember where they were. “Ah yes, of course. Officer Haught, this is the new transfer, and your new partner.”

The tall, redheaded officer stuck her hand out towards Wynonna, who raised an eyebrow, but shook it anyway.

Wynonna could already feel the good vibes rolling off her new partner. _Great, working with her is going to be unbearable._

“Officer Haught, but you can just call me Nicole. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Nicole flashed what must be her most charming smile, and Wynonna almost broke under it, but she managed to keep her reserved look.

“Wynonna, Wynonna Earp. Nice to meet you too, partner.”

Nicole, undeterred by Wynonna’s more reserved composure, gave her another smile before taking a seat next to Wynonna.

The Chief cleared his throat before sitting down. “Right. Well, I mostly just wanted you two to meet each other formally, and make sure everything was organized and clear before officially clearing you for duty, Officer Earp.”

Wynonna nodded, “Of course.”

“Officer Haught is a fine officer, one of our best young officers. She can help you learn everything you need to know, both about this job and the precinct you’re working in. I figured this would be a good fit. She can help get you familiar with the department, and in return I’m sure your years of experience can be beneficial to Officer Haught.”

Wynonna nodded, not really sure how to reply. “Sounds peachy.”

She mentally slapped herself. Really Wynonna? This was how you were going to address your new Chief of Police?

Next to her Nicole let out a soft laugh, speaking up and saving Wynonna further embarrassment. “I think we’ll get along just great, Chief. Thank you.”

The Chief nodded, standing up and shaking hands with both officers. “Great. I look forward to seeing the good work you two will be doing.”

“Of course. Give my best to Maren and the kids.”

The Chief nodded in reply. “Of course.”

He dismissed them, and Wynonna let out a huff of breath as she groaned.

Nicole laughed, motioning with her head to the elevators. “Come on, I’ll show you our headquarters, and the gear room, and well I guess everywhere important you need to know about.”

Wynonna nodded, raising an eyebrow at but not commenting on the slight drawl to Nicole’s voice.

Nicole gave Wynonna a quick tour of the building, pointing out all the important aspects of the building. She was friendly, informative, and knew pretty much everybody. Or so it seemed to Wynonna.

In fact, Wynonna’s new partner seemed to be remarkably well-liked by pretty much everyone in the building; if the warm smiles and greetings were anything to go by that is.

Wynonna just had to get stuck with the most popular officer at the precinct. She really was terrible at making good first impressions, or second ones, or third ones for that matter. Within a week she was positive Nicole would already be exasperated with her and turn the entire department against her.

Eventually the two made their way back down to the gear room.

Nicole flashed Wynonna a warm smile as she led her to her new locker. “Why don’t you get your badge and firearm, and then we can go grab some coffee like true officers of the law?”

Wynonna laughed shortly, opening her locker to do as Nicole asked. She could at least make an effort.

“God, it hasn’t even been two hours on the job.” She paused. “Can we get donuts too?”

“Coffee without donuts is like a PB&J sandwich without the J,” Nicole replied.

Wynonna was starting to see why everyone liked Nicole. She was quite charming, but unfortunately Wynonna was far too jaded and broken to be charmed.

“Great! I skipped breakfast.”

Nicole gasped. “Skipped breakfast? The most important meal of the day?”

Wynonna rolled her eyes. “No, that would by my after-work shot of tequila.”

“Not a meal, but I approve of the choice of drink.”

Wynonna ignored the comment motioned towards the door. “Lead on, Haughtstuff.”

“Ah, the puns have begun.”

“Get used to it, partner.”

The pair walked out and Nicole led them to a nearby coffee shop. The pair gained a lot of attention between their uniforms and Nicole’s bright red hair.

After getting their coffee, they strolled back outside and Nicole led them further into the city.

“So, Wynonna, how you feeling about being in the city?”

Wynonna shrugged. “It’s alright I guess.”

“if you like tequila, you’re gonna like some of the local bars here.”

Wynonna perked up at the comment. “Show me a good bar and I’ll be there.”

Nicole laughed. “Can do, after hours of course. If you need any help settling in, I’m more than happy to help. I’ve lived here a few years, so I know my way around.”

“Thanks, but my little sister lives here for school, she’s been helping me out.”

“That’s great, nothing better than having family look out for you.”

Wynonna grunted. She had mixed feelings about the family thing. “Sure, Waves is great.”

“Waves?”

“My sister, Waverly.”

Nicole nodded. “Ah, of course.”

The two continued to stroll, Nicole doing her best to be friendly and draw Wynonna out in conversation. Slowly, Wynonna found herself melting under the taller officer’s charm. She met Wynonna’s snark head-on, giving as good as she got, and Wynonna felt herself relaxing and just enjoying the easy banter with her new partner.

Sure, she was still smiley and a little unbearable with the whole nice girl vibe, but she was actually fairly sarcastic and able to follow Wynonna’s more dry sense of humor. Maybe this whole new partner-new city thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.

*****

Waverly fiddled with the coffee machine before her, making sure the espresso machine was properly equipped before they opened. Suddenly, as she finally unjammed the portafilter, coffee grounds flew everywhere. She had unjammed it with too much force, and apparently someone had forgotten to clean it last night.

“Shit!”

A light laugh filtered over from the doorway and Waverly whipped her head around to take in the sight of a tall redheaded police officer leaning against the open door of the coffee shop. She pushed off and strutted inside, eyes sparkling in amusement.

Waverly immediately felt her face flush, partly from embarrassment and partly from the sight of the obviously attractive and amused woman standing before her.

“Sorry, can I help?” The officer was obviously containing her laughter, giving Waverly a sympathetic smile.

Waverly glanced around in dismay at the grounds that had spilled everywhere. “No, no, it’s alright. I’ll clean it up, don’t worry. Thanks though.” She tried her best not to stutter under the intense gaze of the officer.

_Jesus, what’s wrong with me?_

The officer nodded. “Very well, if you’re sure. I feel a bit bad now, asking for a coffee.”

Waverly raised her gaze back up towards the dimpled smile of the officer before her. The very attractive female officer.

_Wait, what?_

“Oh, I’m so sorry! We’re actually closed! Or, not open yet, I mean. Well, same thing I guess.” Waverly shut her mouth before she could ramble anymore. God, she had to get that rambling thing under control.

The officer’s eyes shot upward from where they had been examining the grounds disaster. “Ah yes, of course.” She glanced behind Waverly. “Is Lennie here?”

As if sensing that he was being discussed, Waverly saw her manager stride out from the backroom where he had been taking inventory.

He glanced up and saw the officer standing there with a charming smile. His kind eyes lit up at the sight of her. “Nicole! Or Officer Haught, I should say, eh? What can I get for you?”

Waverly raised her eyebrows at the interaction. So clearly she hadn’t realized Nicole was a regular here. But then again, it was only her third shift.

Nicole flashed him a smile that showed off her deep dimples. “It’s just Nicole, but thank you Lennie. I’ve just been informed that you guys aren’t actually open, so I suppose I’ll have to get my cappuccino nearer the precinct.” Nicole sent Waverly a playful wink that caused her to blush deeply.

Lennie waved his hand dismissively. “No no, don’t worry about it Nicole. Waverly’s new here, she clearly didn’t recognize our favorite customer.”

Waverly blushed even deeper, if that was possible. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize.”

“Nonsense, I really shouldn’t be getting any special treatment, I’m just a regular customer. Lennie and I go way back though, so sometimes he gets me a coffee when I’m running into work early.” Nicole replied, waving her hand dismissively.

“Right, right of course. Well, I’ll get right on that cappuccino. I wouldn’t want you skipping out on your early-morning caffeine fix,” Waverly was proud of the playful tone she had managed to adopt after embarrassing herself so much in front of the officer already.  

“No rush,” Nicole flashed her another charming smile that made Waverly’s stomach flip uncomfortably. What was wrong with her?

Lennie and Nicole caught up as she prepared the cappuccino, and as she placed it in front of the redheaded officer, Lennie dismissed himself with a smile.

“Thank you very much, Waverly.”

Waverly startled at the fact that Nicole used her first name, but then remembered that Lennie had used it earlier.

“I’m Nicole Haught, by the way.” Nicole stuck her hand out, and Waverly took it with a small smile.

“Waverly, Waverly Earp.”

Nicole raised an eyebrow at the name, which meant that Nicole had probably already meant Wynonna. She had started her first day yesterday, after all.

“Earp, eh? You wouldn’t happen to have a sister named Wynonna?”

Waverly smiled brilliantly. “As a matter of fact I do. Do you work with her?”

Nicole laughed. “You could say that, she’s my new partner.”

Waverly’s face brightened at the fact. “Oh really? Wow what a coincidence!”

Nicole nodded. “A coincidence indeed. She mentioned you actually.”

Waverly’s eyebrows shot up, and she suddenly felt nervous. “Really? What did she say?”

“Just that you were helping her get familiar with the city, and that you’re great.”

Waverly let out a small laugh. “That’s actually pretty nice for Wynonna.”

Nicole grinned, tiling her head slightly. “Yeah, I’ve gathered she’s a little more reserved.”

“A little rough around the edges, eh?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to say it.”

Waverly laughed at the comment, feeling comfortable in the older officer’s presence.

“Can I ask you something?”

Nicole nodded, leaning on the counter, causing her to lean closer to Waverly. Suddenly she could smell Nicole’s perfume, and the slight smell of gun oil and laundry detergent. It was dizzying and distracting.

“Waverly?”

Suddenly Waverly realized she hadn’t actually asked her question. “Oh! Sorry! I just got distracted there for a second, long night.”

Nicole nodded sympathetically, but gave her a knowing smile that made Waverly think she knew exactly what had really distracted Waverly.  

“I just wanted to ask, could you maybe keep an eye out for Wynonna? She’s been through a lot, and she could really use someone looking out for her. I worry about her, you know. It’d really ease my mind if I knew someone had her back.”

Nicole gave her a brilliant smile. “Waverly Earp, I promise to do everything I can to make sure your sister is ok. I have her back, don’t worry. She’s safe with me.”

Waverly returned the wide smile. “Thank you Nicole.”

Nicole pretended to tap a hat to Waverly. “Anytime.”

Waverly laughed, before realizing she should actually be working. “Gosh, I’m so sorry, but I should really be getting back to work.”

Nicole pushed off the counter, grabbing her coffee. “Of course, apologies for keeping you. Thank you for the coffee, Waverly. I’ll see you around.”

“See you around!” Waverly gave a little wave to the officer as she exited the coffee shop.

Gosh, now that had been one strange, but not unwelcome, encounter. And she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t say she really was looking forward to seeing the good-looking officer again.

*****

Nicole was no stranger to dealing with closed-off cops before. She knew her way around the precinct like it was the back of her hand, and she knew every damn person who worked in the department. Wynonna was nothing she hadn’t met before, and yet she was her own whirlwind of crazy.

She could handle it, she wasn’t intimidated by the severe looks or sarcastic comments. If anything, it was refreshing.

The two were currently strolling through one of the local neighborhoods of their precinct as Nicole explained a little bit about the neighborhood.

“We have a mix of good and bad going on. This neighborhood is usually domestic disputes that get too loud, old ladies thinking someone’s breaking into a house or car, cats stuck in trees. Things like that. Two blocks over you start to reply to actual break-ins, muggings. Two more blocks and you have to start worrying about who is walking down the street, if that person is carrying. You have to deal with gunshots and knifings. Our precinct is right on the edge of a hotly contested turf war going on right now, so always have your bulletproof vest on or in the cruiser.”

Wynonna nodded along, doing a pretty valiant job of looking interested.

“So Purgatory, huh?”

Wynonna raised her eye at the switch in conversation. “What about it?”

“You like living in a small town?”

“You like being a nosy redhead all the time? Nosy red? Rudolph? Huh, I’ll work on that.”

Nicole shook her head and smiled. “Been called worse. What kind of action did you get in Purgatory?”

Wynonna not so subtly rolled her eyes. “Normal stuff. Speeding tickets, walked old ladies across the street, bar fights. Nothing exciting.”

“Sometimes that can be good.”

“Yeah, well, not for someone like me.”

“We’ll get into the action soon enough.”

“Great, can’t wait.”

Nicole turned away so Wynonna wouldn’t see her smile. She knew Wynonna was trying hard to clam down, to push her away. It really wasn’t working though. If there was anything Nicole could be, it was patient. She’d get through that shell eventually, she just knew it.

Just then, a ten-year-old blonde-haired boy came crashing down the sidewalk on his scooter, clearly not paying attention to where he was going. Wynonna stepped out of the way with a scowl, but Nicole deftly placed her hands on the scooter’s handle-halting its progress as she caught the boy who almost tumbled off in the process.

“Whoa there lighting McQueen, what’s the hurry?”

The blonde-haired boy gave the pair a wild look. He looked terrified at the prospect that he had almost ran down two cops.

Nicole laughed at the expression, kneeling down to look the kid in the eye. “Hey, it’s ok? I just wanted to tell you to be careful, ok? You don’t want to run into anyone, it might not end up good for you or for them."

The boy nodded quickly, eyes flashing down to Nicole’s utility belt. Nicole smiled at the action.

“It’s cool right?”

The boy gave a timid nod back, which prompted Nicole to patiently point out each item on her belt, even letting the boy hold her badge.

Eventually, the boy zipped away again on his scooter, a grin now on his face as he waved goodbye to Officer Haught and Officer Earp.

Wynonna raised an eyebrow at Nicole. “So, you’re good with kids. Of course. Is there anything you’re not good at?”

Nicole shrugged. “My Spanish is atrocious. I have too much of an accent for it.”

Wynonna laughed. “Well, we all have our flaws.”

Nicole grinned at the action, as Wynonna’s laugh seemed born out of amusement rather than sarcasm this time.

“So I met your sister this morning.”

Wynonna’s eyebrows shot up. “Background surveillance on me already, Officer? Wow, didn’t even make it past day two.”

Nicole laughed. “It’s not like that. I ran into her at the coffee shop I usually go to when I work early shifts. She introduced herself as Waverly Earp, so I kind of figured she was your Waverly.”

Wynonna grinned. “Yep, that’s my girl.”

“She seemed great, I can tell why you’re so fond of her.”

Wynonna nodded. “She’s the most important person in my life.”

Nicole smiled at that. She was happy they had each other, everyone needed that one person in their life to keep them sane. To right the ship when things went wrong.   

The two continued to stroll down the street, Wynonna looked incredibly bored. Nicole smirked, she already had the feeling Wynonna was going to get them into a lot of trouble. She wasn’t necessarily opposed to it.

“So, I was wondering if you wanted to hit the bars tonight? I know your sister probably knows a few places and can show you around, but I’m more than happy to as well.”

“Haven’t gotten enough of me yet, huh?”

Nicole laughed, “Well you’re a lot funnier and prettier than my last partner, so you’re already leagues ahead.”

Wynonna frowned at that. “What happened to your last partner?”

Nicole shrugged. “He retired.”

She wasn’t bothered to give up much more information than that. Wynonna wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to talk about her past. In fact, she usually did a good job of asking everybody about their own, they forgot to ask about hers. She preferred it that way.

Thankfully, Wynonna let it go, and the two continued to stroll. Eventually Wynonna let out a huff. “This is so boring.”

Nicole had her hands tucked into her belt, and she just rolled her eyes at the older officer. “You have to get to know these neighborhoods, so just enjoy the sunny day. It won’t always be this nice out, enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Ugh, Canada man.”

“Yeah, fuck Canada.”

Wynonna laughed at the comment, copying Nicole’s habit of resting her hands on her belt.

“You know Haughtstuff, you’re really not that bad. I think I will take you up on that offer to hit the bars. I kind of want to see you let loose, I imagine you drunk would be quite the treat.”

Nicole wriggled her eyebrows. “Me anything is a treat.”

Wynonna groaned and shoved Nicole. “Shut up, you’re going to make me retract my acceptance.”

“Nope, no take-backs. You’re stuck with me tonight. We’re gonna hit all the bars that have the best mixed-tequila drinks.”

“Well, when you put it like that…”


End file.
